The Price of Indiscretion

In a beautiful lake called Padmaveda, there lived a Tortoise named Kambugriva. He was a friendly fellow, but he had one big problem: he talked too much. He chatted with the fish, he babbled to the frogs, and he gossiped with the snails. He just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. His best friends were two Geese named Sankat and Vikat. They loved Kambugriva, even though he talked non-stop.

One year, a terrible drought came to the land. The rains didn’t fall. The sun burned hot every day. The water in the lake began to dry up. The fish were swimming in mud. The lilies wilted. Sankat and Vikat decided to leave. “We must fly to the Great Lake beyond the mountains,” they said. “There is plenty of water there.” They went to say goodbye to the Tortoise. Kambugriva began to cry. “Please don’t leave me!” he wailed. “If you leave, I will dry up and die here. Take me with you!” “We want to,” said the Geese. “But you cannot fly. And it is a long journey.”

Most of the day passed with Kambugriva begging them. Finally, he had a clever idea. “Bring a strong stick,” he said. “You two hold the ends in your beaks. I will bite the middle of the stick with my strong jaws. You can fly and carry me!” The Geese thought about it. “It might work,” said Sankat. “But there is one danger. You talk too much. If you open your mouth to speak while we are in the air, you will fall.” “I promise!” said the Tortoise. “I will not say a single word. I will be silent as a stone.”

The Geese found a sturdy stick. They clamped their beaks on the ends. Kambugriva bit the middle and held on tight. “Ready?” mumbled the Geese. They flapped their wings and lifted off. Up, up, up they went! The Tortoise was amazed. He saw the tops of trees. He saw the dry lake getting smaller. He felt the wind on his shell. It was wonderful!

They flew over a village. The people looked up and saw the strange sight. “Look!” shouted a boy. “Two birds carrying a turtle on a stick!” “How funny!” laughed a farmer. “Look at him hanging there like a sack of potatoes!” “If he falls,” joked a woman, “we can put him in the soup pot!”

Kambugriva heard them laughing. His face turned red. He forgot where he was. He forgot his promise. He opened his mouth to shout, “You stupid people! Be quiet!” But as soon as his mouth opened… Slip! The stick was gone. “Ahhhhh!” screamed the Tortoise as he tumbled down from the sky. The Geese watched in horror, unable to help.

The Tortoise fell—CRASH!—right onto a pile of rocks near the village pond. Luckily, his hard shell saved his life. But the impact was so hard that his smooth shell cracked into many pieces. He crawled into the pond, shaken and sore. Over time, his shell healed, but the cracks remained as a pattern. It was a permanent reminder of his foolishness. From that day on, Kambugriva learned to keep his thoughts to himself.

Moral of the Story: Know when to speak and when to be silent. Empty words can lead to a hard fall.